Mail-marking machine.



Patented lune 2 7, 1899.

- a. H. BARBER & c. .1. HACKLEY.

MAIL MARKING MACHINE.

(tppfimion filed July 9, 189B.)

' 4 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

\xfi'wessssi INVENTURS.

No. 627,677. Patnted luna 27; I899. a. H. BARBER & c. .1. HACKLEY. MA. MARKING MACHINE.

(Application filed July 9, 1898.) (No Model.)

4 Sheets-:Sheat 2.

No. 627,677. Patented lune 27, |899. G. H. BARBER & 6.. J. HACKLEY.

MAIL MARKING MACHINE.

4 Sheets-8heet 3.

(No Model.)

No. 627,677. Patented June 27, I899.

G.- H. BARBER &. C J. HACKLEY.

. MAIL MARKING MACHINE.

(Application filed July 9, 1898.) (No Model.) 4 Sh eets$heet 4.

lllllll UNITED STAT S- ;PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. BARBER, OF HARTFORD, CON ECTICUT, AND CHARLES J. HACKLEY, OF HYDE PARK, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS To TH AME ICAN POSTAL MACHINES COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

MAIL- MARKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 627,677, dated June 27, 1899.

' Application filed July 9, 1898. Serial No. 685,485. (No model.)

To all-whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE H. BARBER, of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and pack placed on a table or trough forming a part of the machine.

To this end the invention consists in the novel features of construction and arrangement, which we will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specificatiomFigure 1 represents a perspective view of a complete machine constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 represents a partial perspective view showing the machine arranged with the selffeeding devices in operative position. Fig. 3 represents a top plan view of the machine with the parts arranged as shown in Fig.1. Fig. 4 represents a similar view with the parts in the position Shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 represents a section onthe line 5 5 of Fig. 4. .Fig. 6 represents a front endelevation of the selffeed devices. Fig. 7 represents a detail Ver tical section of the device for adjusting the separator used in the self-feed mechanism.

Fig. 8 representsa section on line 8 8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 represents a side elevation of the feedroll and the bracket therefor. Fig. 10 represents an end view of the same with the bracket in section.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

Referring to the drawings, a designates the frame of the machine, which is provided with a suitable base a.

c and (1 represent, respectively, a printingroll and an impression-roll, the two together constituting the members of the. printingcouple and bothbeing positively drivenand continuously rotated in a forward direction. On the same shafts with the said printing members are mounted feed-disks c d, having provisions for grippingaletter and feeding it forward, while the printing devices act to mark the letter.

' eis a belt or carrier mounted on pulleys e 6', one of which is positively driven so as to cause the belt to travel beneath the members of the'printing-coupleJ Aletter deposited on this belt will be carried forward edgewise and in a vertical posture by the belt toward the printing members and will at the proper moment;be gripped between the feeding-disks above referred to and marked or cancelled in the desired manner.

- f, g, and i are stops extending diagonally across the letter-pathand designed to arrest the letter temporarily if it comes into the throat formed by the two printing members before said members are in the proper position to mark it. The Stop g is fixed, while the stops f and t' are pivoted. The letter is first arrested by the stops f and g and is held until the stop f is displaced by means of an abutment or stud h cooperating with the letter. Said stud is mounted on a disk carriedby. the shaft of the printing-roll. After passing the stops f and g the letter is momentarily arrested by the stop 2' and is finally gripped by the disks 0 d and carried forward between the printing members. The letter after being marked passes forward and is engaged by a stacker j, which stacks it along with'other letters previously marked on a table k. i

In Figs. 1 and3, which represent the ma chine as it is arranged when fed by hand, there is shown a hopper into whichthe letters are dropped one by one by'the operator,

said letters falling upon the carrier-belt e and being carried forward thereby to the marking devices, as above described. One side of this hopper is formed by a fence or guide b secured to the frame of the machine, and the other two sides are formed by a member I), which is secured to the frame by means of small cam-locking levers 1) 0 which can be manipulated so as to release said member and allow the same to be removed when the self-feed devices are to be used.

It will be seen that the removal of the member d amounts virtually to removing the hopper.

The self-feed devices consist of a feed table or trough it, a feed-roll m, and other suitable devices to be described, whereby the letters may be automatically fed from a faced pack placed in the trough u. The feed-roll m is journaled in a bracket m provided at m with a hinge. The fixed portion of said hinge is secured, by means of bolts on" 011. to the frame of the machine in such manner that it may be removed, if desired. The shaft of the roll m is provided at its lower end with a gear m by means of which the roll is driven through the medium of an intermediate gear or idler n, meshing with a gear on the shaft of the roll (I. Arrangements are made whereby the roll m may be moved into and out of 'its operative position, according as the machine is to be used with a self-feed or hand-feed. For this purpose the pintle of the hinge m is screw-threaded at its lower end and is provided with a clamping-lever m. Adjustable stops are provided for limiting the throw of the roll-bracket, consisting of headed bolts of m the former mounted in the frame a and projecting through the bracket m and the latter mounted in said bracket and arranged to abut against the frame. \Vhen the mail-marking machine is to be arranged for self-feed, the roll-bracket is moved inwardly until the roll an projects over the carrier-belt 6 through an aperture in the guide 11 as shown in Fig. 5, and is clampedin this position by turning the clamping-leverm in the proper manner. lVhen the hand-feed devices are to be used, the bracket is swung outwardly and clamped by means of the lever m. The distance which the feed-roll is swung is not sufiicient to cause the gear m to become disengaged from the intermediate gear a. The feed-roll m is provided on its periphery with two segmental traction, bosses m m, located the one above the other and preferably composed of soft rubber, although we do not confine ourselves to the use of this material.

0 is a separator mounted on a lug proj ectin g from the left-hand side a of the feedtrough u and consisting of a spring-held pivoted finger whose end is located in juxtaposition to the feed-roll on between the bosses m m. For the purpose of adjusting the separator to accommodate letters of different thicknesses there is formed on said separator a lug 0, having an inclined notched face, between which and the side a of the feed-table operates the lower end of a wedge or pin 0 which is ad j ustably held in place by a thumbscrew 0 According as the pin is moved up or down the operating end of the separator is moved toward or away from the roll m.

r is a loose roll on a lug projecting from the side of the table u and arranged to cooperate with the lower one of the two bosses m m in advancing the letter.

The operation of the self-feed devices is as follows: A pack of letters is placed on the table it against its left-hand wall it and is pressed toward the guide-fence b by the hand of the attendant or by means of a suitablyactuated follower. Then each time that the revolving bosses m come in contact with the face of the pack q they wipe off a letter from the pack and force it past the separator o. If the letter is of unusual thickness, the separator will yield slightly against its spring 0 to allow the letter to pass. The bosses m m strike the face of the pack with a rather sharp impact, giving a light blow, which loosens or agitates the pack and momentarily decreases the pressure on the first letter, thus diminishing the frictional resistance which is offered by the rest of the pack and permitting the letter to be carried forward. After passing between the feed-roll m and the roll 1' the letter is advanced by the carrying-belt toward the printing devices and is marked as before described. The feed-roll m is preferably so timed and arranged that it feeds a letter to the printing members in each revolution of the latter.

The trough or table a is pivoted at n to a bracket a on the frame of the machine and is arranged so that it can be swung down out of the way when the machine is to be used with the hand-feed, a hook 5 being employed to hold it in its inoperative position. When the self-feed is to be used, the hopper b is first removed, and the table it is then swung up to a horizontal position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, in place of the hopper b and is secured in this position. The securing devices include an eccentric shaft 10 extending through the hub of the table it and journaled in the bracket a a lever or handle for turning said shaft, and a pin or dowel a projecting upwardly from the frame a and adapted to enter a hole or socket formed in the bed of the table. To position the table, it is raised slightly above its final position, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5, and is then brought down into engagement with the dowel a by turning the eccentric shaft 10" by-means of the handle a Vhen the table u is positioned, the feed-roll m is moved into itsoperative position, as above described, and the self-feed devices are then ready for operation.

From the above description it will be seen that we have provided a simple and eflicient mail-marking machine which can be very readily converted from a hand-feed into a self-feed machine, and vice versa, so that one machine may be made to take the place of two as heretofore constructed.

Having thus explained the nature of our invention and described a way of constructing and using the same, although without having attempted to set forth all the forms in which it may be embodied or all the modes of its use, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a mail-marking machine, in combination, a traveling conveyer for advancing the letters, printing devices for marking the letters, a hopper arranged to be operatively positioned above the conveyer so as to receive letters deposited one at a time inthe machine, and to be removed from said position, a trough or table attached to the frame of the machine and arranged to occupy an inoperative position when the hopper is operatively placed, and to be positioned in place of said hopper when the latter is removed from its operative position, the said trough when in its operative position being adapted to support a pack of letters, and means for feeding the letters one by one to the printing devices from the face of a pack so supported.

2. In a mail-marking machine, in combi-. nation, printing devices for marking the letters, a trough or table hinged to the frame of the machine and arranged to be depressed to an inoperative position and to be swung up to a substantially horizontal operative position, in which it is adapted to support a pack of letters, and means for feeding the letters one by one to the printing devicesfrom the face of a pack so supported.

3. In a mail-marking machine, in combination, a traveling conveyer, a hopper arranged to be operatively positioned above the conveyer so as to receive letters deposited one at a time in the machine, means for removably securing said hopper to the frame of the machine in this position, and a trough or table arranged to occupy an inoperative position when the hopper is operatively placed, and to be positioned in place of said hopper when the latter is removed from its operative position. I, I

4. In a mail-markingmachino, a device for feeding letters one by one from a pack, said device comprising a rotary feed member, a pivotal separator located on the other side of the letter-path from said member, a spring attached to said separator and serving to yieldingly actuate its operative end in the direction of the feed member, an inclined projection on said separator, an inclined longitudinally-movable wedging member cooperating with said projection, a support for said wedging member, and means for adj ustably securing said wedging member to said support, whereby the normal distance of the said operative end of the separator from the rotary feed member may be varied.

5. In a mail-marking machine having a traveling conveyer, a hopper adapted to guide letters dropped by hand onto said conveyer, and self-feed mechanism constructed to feed letters one by one to the conveyer from the face of apack, a rotary feed member forming a part of said self-feed mechanism'and adapted to operate in the letter-path, and supporting means for said member so constructed as to permitthe member to be moved out of the letter-path when the self-feed mechanism is inoperative.

6. In a mail-marking machine, a frame, a rotary feed member forming part of a selffeed mechanism, a bearing-bracket supporting said member and hinged to said frame, said bracket permitting the member to be moved into and out of the letter-path, and said bracket having a screw-threaded hingepintle, and a clamping-lever engaged 'with said pintle and adapted to lock the bracket to the frame with the feed member in either of said positions.

In testimony whereof we have affixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE H. BARBER. CHAS; J. HAOKLEY..

Witnesses:

R. M. PIERSON, C. F. BROWN. 

